


Turtle Snapshots

by Peachee



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-26 03:46:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 6,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4989007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peachee/pseuds/Peachee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles about the turtles, ranging from funny to downright hilarious (and plenty of fluff).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Failure

Oh no. No. Not again. I swear I didn’t mean to do it. It was an accident! 

He’ll never forgive me. The countless times this has happened and all I can do is say “I’m sorry.” I let my head drop into my hands, trying to hold it together. How could I have been so careless?

I can’t bear the thought of telling him. I know what will happen. That disappointed look in his eyes followed by his pained sigh. 

Slowly I pick my head up and stare at the burnt remains of my failure. As I hear the soft footfalls of my genius brother I shudder. 

Here it comes.

“Leo?”

I can’t even look at him.

"…what did you do to the toaster?!”


	2. Chocolate

Mikey was the proud owner of a ravenous sweet tooth. Raph insisted he actually had at least five based on the way the orange ninja consumed sweets. 

Jelly Beans, ice cream, cookies you name it, Mikey loved it. Leo always chided him that his lack of self-control when it came to sweets would only lead to trouble. 

“Hey Mikey, have you seen my goggles? I can’t find them in my lab.”

Mikey smirked as he looked into the warm chocolate eyes of his genius older brother. 

Oh yes…his sweet tooth would definitely get him into trouble.


	3. Sunscreen

Mikey sprinted down the hall towards Raph’s room, skidding to a halt outside the closed door.

“Raph!” he yelled. “I need your help!”

Angrily the door burst open, revealing a very irritated Raphael. 

“This had better be good Mikey,” he growled.

“I was talking with Donnie,” Mikey panted, eyes wide. “He said that your skin absorbs x-rays or something from the sun and can give you cancer!”

Raph’s silence only made Mikey’s eyes go wider. Shaking a greasy bottle in Raph’s face the orange ninja shrieked.

“Help me put on this sunscreen!”

Raph stared silently.

“Mikey…”

“Yeah Raph?”

“Where do we live?”

Mikey blinked.

“Underground?”

“Yeah…and when do we go out?”

Again Mikey blinked. 

“At night…”

Raph’s eyes narrowed.

“So explain to me Shellhead…why the heck do you need SUNSCREEN?!”


	4. Heating Lamp

Raph was sulking on the living room floor when Leo found him. The hothead had a scowl plastered on his face that made even gargoyles look jovial. 

Leo approached his younger brother with caution.

“Come on Raph, you know Mikey didn’t mean to do it.”

Raph glared at his older brother. 

“Y-yeah but he still broke the dang th-thing,” he stuttered.

Leo sighed. 

“Donnie will get a new bulb for the heating lamp tomorrow,” Leo assured him. 

Raph tried to suppress a shiver. 

“Yeah well I’m f-freezin’ my shell off now.”

Silently, Leo grabbed a blanket off the couch and lowered himself down next to his brother. Sidling up to Raph, he threw the blanket over them both and wrapped his arms around his brother’s shell. 

“Hey! What d-d’ya think yer doin’?” Raph said in irritation.

“Warming you up Raph,” came the simple reply.

Raph scowled as he tried to wriggle away, only to have Leo’s arms tighten. 

“Just sit still Raph,” Leo huffed. 

Raph hated to admit it, but Leo’s arms were pretty warm. Muttering angrily Raph decided letting Leo have his way this one time wouldn’t be the end of the world. As he got warmer, Raph felt his eyes begin to droop.

“Aw dude why didn’t anyone tell me there was a sleepover?”

Raph’s eyes snapped open. Mikey stood over them both with a look of excitement on his face.

“Mind if I join?”

Leo glanced up at the eager turtle. 

“Only if you promise to hold still,” he warned. 

Mikey’s eyes lit up.

“Turtle’s honor!”

Leo started to shift but Mikey just flopped over both Raph’s and Leo’s shells. 

“Get off ya little pest!” Raph growled.

Mikey giggled as he curled over his brothers. Sighing in defeat, Leo readjusted himself to accommodate the young turtle’s weight before snuggling back up to Raph. With an exasperated huff, Raph fumed silently until the added warmth of the second turtle coaxed him to sleep.

….

“Okay guys, I found a spare bulb in the back of my desk drawer so…” 

The rest of Donnie’s sentence drifted off as he saw his sleeping brothers wrapped in blankets on the living room floor. Smiling, he grabbed another blanket from the back of a chair and rested his shell against the sides of his brothers. 

As he drifted off he couldn’t help thinking, “This is way better than the heating lamp.”


	5. Hairbrush

Mikey turned the object in his hands slowly. The tot knew that he could never use it. Donnie had said it would be pointless for him to keep it, and the thought made him sad. 

“My son?”

The orange banded turtle’s head shot up.

“My son, what are you looking at so intently?”

The little turtle blushed as he hid the object awkwardly behind his shell. 

“Nothing.” 

The old rat chuckled at the turtle tot’s attempt to hide his treasure. 

“Come my son, you can show me,” he coaxed. “I won’t laugh.”

Hesitantly, Mikey brought his hands forward. The hairbrush was missing a few teeth, but all in all it was in very good shape. Splinter smiled. 

“What a wonderful find my son,” the rat said indulgently.

“Donnie said it’s useless for us,” Mikey pouted. “He said that none of us will ever have any hair.”

Splinter stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. 

Mikey looked sadly at the brush. He had been so proud of his find. All he really wanted was the chance to use it. Looking back at his father his eyes widened. 

“Daddy?” he asked softly.

Splinter looked down at his young son trying to mask his surprise. It wasn’t often his sons used the term with him, unless they were feeling particularly vulnerable. He waited for the young turtle to speak.

“Can…can I brush your hair?”

A smile crept slowly over Splinter’s face. Moving forward he scooped up the young turtle, who still clung to his brush looking slightly embarrassed. 

“My son, I would be honored,” Splinter grinned.


	6. VooDoo

Donnie watched in horror as Mikey laughed uncontrollably on the floor. It had started out as a simple experiment to prove his brothers wrong, but now…?

Donnie looked at the little plush doll Raph was holding in his hands. He was “tickling” it with a feather and grinning evilly at his younger brother writhing on the floor. 

“Raph…Raph, stop it!”

Raph turned towards the genius. 

“I thought you said voodoo wasn’t real?” he said, still ghosting the feather along the doll’s sides. Mikey’s laughter rose even higher, leaving the young turtle gasping for breath.

“I don’t care what I said!” Donnie cried. “Mikey needs to breathe!”

Raph didn’t let up. 

“So are you saying you were wrong?” he teased. Mikey clutched his sides as he flopped over the floor like a live fish.

“YES OK?” Donnie yelled angrily. “ I WAS WRONG. NOW STOP TICKLING MIKEY!”

Abruptly the laughter from the young turtle stopped. 

“Ha! Pay up Leo!” Mikey called across the room.

Donnie stared at his younger brother. Looking across the room, Don noticed Leo scowling. 

“Dammit...” Leo muttered.

Raph grinned widely. 

“Told you he would fall for it,” the hothead preened. 

Donnie felt his fists clench and his eyes narrow. His brothers had no idea what kind of bad juju they had just brought down upon themselves.


	7. Shudder

The scent was enough to make Donnie’s eyes water. The unholy stench coming from the opened refrigerator was more than his sensitive nose could bear, so he quickly shut the door. 

Donnie knew his brother Michelangelo was…creative when it came to cooking, but whatever that abomination was had to go. 

“Mikey,” the brainy turtle said through clenched teeth. “Please get rid of whatever is currently trying to become sentient in the fridge.”

Mikey sauntered into the kitchen confused.

“You mean my sardine, pickle and cheese casserole?”

Donnie felt his stomach lurch, but nodded. 

Mikey whipped the fridge door open, snagging the offending dish.

“Bottoms up!” he cried, before shoveling the mound of mess into his gaping mouth. 

Donnie watched in petrified awe. 

Within seconds it seemed, Mikey’s fork clanged against the empty food container. 

“You don’t know what you’re missin’ D!”

Donnie just stared at the empty Tupperware and shuddered.


	8. Lips

Mikey sat on the couch waiting for his victim. This was going to be the prank to end all pranks. All he needed was the right turtle…

“Hey Raph!” he called. “Can you help me with something?”

“Whad’ya want Mikey?” Raph asked irritably. 

Mikey held out the red whistle he had been holding, careful to avoid the mouthpiece. 

“I’ve been trying to get this thing to work, but it’s not making any sound,” he said innocently. “I think it’s got something stuck.”

Raph blinked down at the odd trinket. 

“Mikey why d’ya need a whistle?”

“To wake Donnie up without being in striking range.”

The hothead nodded in understanding. 

“So what ya just need me ta blow?”

Mikey nodded eagerly, handing the red whistle to his brother. Raph took the whistle and put it to his mouth and gave a blow. No sound came out, but when he pulled his mouth away, a faint red tinge held to his lips.

Mikey tried desperately to hide his giggle.

“I-I think you need to make your lips tighter Raphie,” he stuttered.

“Don’t call me Raphie,” the red-banded ninja said, but again put the whistle to his lips, clamping down hard and gave a mighty blow. 

Silence.

“I think its busted Mikey,” Raph said, tossing the whistle back to his brother. This time, his lips were painted a startling shade of red as bright as his mask.

Mikey’s eyes were watering with the effort of not losing it in front of Raph. 

At this point Don and Leo walked into the main room. Upon seeing their hotheaded brother’s brilliantly red lips, their eyes grew wide and Mikey lost the battle with his laughter. 

Rolling on the ground, Mikey shoulders heaved with each guffaw.

“Pffft-HAHAHAHahaha!!” he cried. “Can I call you Raphie-ella?”

Confused Raph looked to his other brothers who were also laughing hysterically. Leo pointed to his lips, unable to form words.

Raph frowned as he wiped a hand across his lips, coming away with the bright red pigment.

His face soon matched the color smeared on his hand.

“MIKEY!”

Despite the epic shell-kicking he received, Mikey couldn’t help but wonder…should he have gone for pink?


	9. M&Ms

“Hey Donnie”

“What Mikey?”

“What do the M’s stand for?”

Donnie looked at the brightly colored package clutched in his little brother's hand. M&Ms emblazoned across the crinkling candy wrapper.

Donnie had to hide his smirk as he answered, “You mean their 'secret' ingredients Malathion & Methoxyethylmercuric acetate? Yeah those are nasty.”

Mikey’s eyes went wide. 

“W-what do those do?”

“Oh not much, just makes your brain short circuit for small amounts of time. It gets worse the more of them you eat.”

Mikey pouted. 

“Come on dude that isn’t real…right?”

“You know those ‘sugar high’s’ you get after eating those?” Donnie said raising an eye ridge. 

Mikey’s face lost color before bolting out the door.

“RAPHIE! DON’T EAT THE M&MS!!!”


	10. Cold

The banging on the lab door fell silent.   
  
Was it over?  
  
Cautiously the turtle climbed to his feet and pressed close to the door. Faint whimpers drifted past the heavy metal.  
  
Stepping back, he cracked it open only to find his two older brothers collapsed on the floor, their masks askew and the lair behind them in shambles.  
  
Both turned betrayed gazes on their genius brother.  
  
"You gave Mikey coffee... _why?!_ "  
  
Donnie grinned evilly as he stared down at his distraught siblings.  
  
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."


	11. Bend

How in the world is he doing that?   
  
Physics dictate it shouldn’t be possible. Their shells don’t bend like that. Wait…is he…he’s grabbing his ankles! Standing up!  
  
“Mikey!”  
  
The young turtle looked up at his genius brother from between his legs.   
  
“What’s up bro?”  
  
“How are you…I mean…is your back ok?”  
  
Mikey grabbed his calves and pulled even further.   
  
“Yeah man I’m fine. Just trying something out.”  
  
Donnie gaped.  
  
“Trying something out?”  
  
Mikey nodded as he reached up, up, up…and grabbed the bottom of his shell.   
  
“Check it out Donnie I’m a Turtzle! Get it? Like a turtle mixed with a pretzel…Donnie?”  
  
All Mikey could see was the upside-down profile of his older brother babbling something about physics and anatomy.   
  
Mikey just grinned.   
  
_If he thinks that's cool wait until I put my feet on my head too!_


	12. Knit

Splinter gently ran his hands over the warm blanket as he settled into the couch for his stories.  
  
The worn yarn had faded somewhat but the old rat still held it as one of his most prized possessions, despite the small knurls and dropped stitches.  
  
A gift from long ago.  
  
“Hey Sensei, ya want any tea? It’s kinda cold out ‘ere.”  
  
Splinter smiled at his “hotheaded” son, remembering the scrawling note in rough handwriting stuffed in the blanket’s folds.   
  
_To sensay_  
Luve Raph  
  
“I would very much appreciate that my son.”


	13. Easy

“Ok Leo. Just, put it in.”  
  
“But Mikey…what if I mess up?”  
  
“Come on Leo it’s so easy. Just like your sword and sheath. Slide it right in. They are made for each other!”  
  
“What if Donnie and Raph-”  
  
“Bro they know what we're doing. I’m sure they don’t want to be within 100 feet of this room right now.”  
  
Leo scowled.   
  
“C’mon Leo hurry up! I don’t know how much longer I can stand this.”  
  
Leo shook his head preparing for the monumental occasion.   
  
_Gently…gently…._  
  
“Ah LEO!”  
  
Anxiously Leo yanked his hand back in fear.   
  
“You did it bro!” Mikey smiled wide.  
  
“You made toast!”


	14. Honor

You carry the weight of the world on your back like it is nothing. Wielding two blades in defense of your home. You should have a name worthy of your honor.   
  
"I shall call you, Musashi."  
  
It is a most befitting name. A hero of Japan, an expert swordsman, and a man of honor. You hold his name well.  
  
"Uh Leo..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Are you seriously going to name your hermit crab that?"


	15. Lashes

"Ow ow ow...."  
  
Mikey slowed to a halt outside the bathroom. That sounded like Donnie.   
  
"Come on you insufferable, excruciating, excuse for a fashion accessory."  
  
"Donnie what are you-"  
  
Donnie blinked at Mikey, accentuating the large false eyelashes he had glued crookedly to his eyeridge.  
  
"Mikey...it's not...I mean, they help keep things out of the human eye and I just wanted to test the validity of-"  
  
Donnie watched in horror as Mikey tore out of the bathroom, not even bothering to look back. Oh god was he going to get Leo? Raph? _APRIL?!_  
  
 _"MIKEY, WAIT!"_  
  
Just as he reached the door, his little brother came sprinting back.  
  
"Uh Mikey?"  
  
"Don't worry about a thing Don! I've got the eyeshadow!"


	16. Clean

He knew this was a bad idea. He knew. And yet he did it anyways.   
  
 _What's the worst that could happen?_ he had thought.   
  
He cringed as a new wave drenched him from head to toe. Drops of water dripped off the end of his nose.   
  
It was then Splinter learned a valuable lesson.   
  
 _Just because the bathtub can fit four little turtle tots at once, doesn't mean it should._


	17. Hug

It would have been so easy to write it off as another "Raph" thing. To just ignore the fact that he had hidden away in his room yet again. But something made Leo look closer this time.   
  
Gently he opened the door to a darkened room looking at the slumped figure on the bed. No antagonistic words, no angry shouting telling him to get out. The fiery life that always seemed to surround the hothead, diminished.  
  
Slowly Leo walked closer, as if navigating a minefield. When he sat beside the red-masked ninja he remained silent. Waiting. Finally daring to look, Leo watched as Raph's eyes grew glassy, leaking tears down his face. Carefully he brought his arms around Raph, like he was made of glass.   
  
He didn't know what the problem was, or even if he could fix it. Instead he just held his brother, pulling him tighter when shaking emerald arms wrapped around him. 


	18. Cute

April looked at the turtle in front of her in shock. She had expected a reaction, but not _that_ kind.

“Raph…did you just squeal?”

The red-banded turtle blushed furiously as he held the tiny kitten closer to his face, as if hiding.

April grinned smugly.

“Told you she was cute.”


	19. Key

“Okay Donnie dis ain’t funny anymore.”

“You think I’m enjoying this?”

“Well ya ain’t makin’ any progress are ya?”

“This is all Leo’s fault anyway.”

“Hey! You were the one who suggested we try handcuffs Don!”

“Yeah but I thought you wouldn’t be so birdbrained as to lose the key!”

“We need to practice getting out of these kinds of situations. You both just need to try harder.”

“Fearless I’m about ta knock ya upside da head, even if I have ta carry Don ova d’ere.”

“Look, the key was on the shelf and now it’s gone. I had nothing to do with it.”

“Say dat ova here ya damn ninja moron.”

“What did you call me?!”

“Guys please! No fighting while I’m still attached to Raph!”

“Shut it Brainiac!”

“Uh guys?”

“Not now Mikey.”

“But-“

“Stay outta dis Mike!”

The orange-banded ninja huffed as he left the dojo. All he wanted to know was what this key he found went to...


	20. Whale

“LLLLEEEeeeeoooOOOO. LOOOOOK WHAAAaaaat IIII caaAAAN dooooOOO!”

Leo scowled at his younger brother who was currently bouncing in front of him excitedly.

“And what exactly am I looking at Mikey?”

“Caaaan’t YOUUUU guuuEEEESSSSS?”

Leo’s frown grew deeper with irritation.

“Why are you talking like you’re stuck in slow motion?”

Mikey’s grin got even bigger.

“IIIII’mmmm speaaaakiinnng WHHAAAAAALE!”


	21. Just Desserts

The tired master tried once again to explain to his child. Really he should have seen this coming.  
  
“That is not what I meant my son.”  
  
“But you said! You said I can have dessert since I broke the lamp.”  
  
Splinter rubbed between his eyes, regretting his very poor choice of words.  
  
“What I said my son, is that bad little turtles that break things will get their just deserts.”  
  
“Yeah, and I broke the lamp” the tot replied. “So I want ice cream!”  
  
Splinter looked to the ceiling in exasperation, cursing idioms in every language he knew.


	22. Wallet

“AAAAHHHHH GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!”

Donnie nearly set himself on fire as the ever-dulcet tones of his youngest brother echoed throughout the lair. Leaping to his feet the purple-banded ninja sprinted out of his lab, nearly careening into Raph.

“What da shell is goin’ on Mikey?!” Raph shouted, sais drawn. Anxiously his eyes darted around the lair, looking for whatever caused his brother to collapse onto the floor, wide-eyed and staring.

“Mikey?” Donnie gently crouched down in front of the normally buoyant turtle. “Hey Mikey, are you ok?”

Shakily Mikey pointed at something on the ground.

“It’s real…” he said with a shudder.

Glancing over, Donnie looked closer at the wallet on the floor. Gingerly picking it up, he could see right away what had upset his brother.

“What is it Don?” Raph asked, still not completely at ease.

“It’s made of crocodile skin,” Donnie said, scrunching his nose in distaste.

Instantly Raph looked to Mikey, who already had great tears rolling down his face.

“Aw man,” Raph sighed, stowing his sais away. Slowly he crouched down by his brothers, gently folding Mikey into a hug. Reputation be damned.

Raph knew how dear a friend Leatherhead was to the goofball and with the big croc missing for the past month, something like this would definitely affect him harshly.

“C’mon Mike,” he said quietly, helping Mikey off the floor. “Let’s you n’ me go siddown fer a minute.”

As Raph led the distraught turtle to the living room, Don moved quietly towards his lab still carrying the wallet. If later he had a little bonfire out in the sewers, no one mentioned it. 


	23. Storm

Sometimes it scared Leo how well nature could embody his brothers. Like the storm that raged outside, bolts of lightning streaking the sky, so did Don fume through the farmhouse.

His voice cracked through the otherwise quiet of the house before rumbling into muttering curses. In all honesty, there was nothing Leo could do. Don on a rampage was a force of nature. There was no stopping it. You just had to ride it out.

Although really, Leo wasn’t quite to sure that this level of anger was necessary. It was only a few days without coffee, since the storm made the roads too dangerous for April and Casey to get more. Surely it didn’t warrant a reaction like this?

Again Donnie angrily shouted at some innocuous object that had somehow displeased him, as Leo cowered on the couch. It was right about then that Mikey came happily bouncing out of the kitchen with big smile on his face. Anxiously Leo made a “cut it out” motion but his boisterous little brother either didn’t notice or didn’t care that the storm that was Donatello was heading his way.

As Mikey disappeared into Donnie’s room, Leo tentatively rose from his seat. In case his youngest brother needed saving. A series of muffled shouts were heard before an ominous quiet descended on the house, with only the sound of pattering rain against the window.

Leo counted in his head, trying to gauge just how much time had passed since Donnie’s last outburst.

1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi…

To his astonishment, Leo watched as Mikey lead their irritable purple-banded brother from his room. The scowl on Don’s face could have curdled milk, but still Mikey gently tugged his hand towards the kitchen.

Following at a safe distance Leo peered in through the kitchen door. There on the table was a steaming cup of coffee, just how the genius liked it. Eagerly Donnie scooped up the cup, inhaling deeply. Looking over at Mikey he was greeted with a brilliant smile and a motion for him to drink. Matching Mikey’s smile Don then took a sip, sighing in relief. Grinning he put his arm around Mikey’s shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

Smiling to himself, Leo made his way back to the living room sofa. Looking out, a beautiful rainbow had streaked across the sky, taking the aftermath of the storm and filling it with light. It was amazing how nature embodied his brothers. 


	24. Whisper

“Raph? What are you doing under there?”

“SHHHHH!”

Leo barely had time to register the green hand that shot out from under the table and dragged him under.

“Raph! What the-“

“Leo for the love of shell shut _up!_ ”

“Why are you whispering? And why are we hiding under the table?”

Raph’s eyes darted quickly side to side.

“I may or may not have eaten Mikey’s leftover pizza…”

Leo’s eyes grew huge.

“Raph, what have you done?”

“I didn’t know the knucklehead had leftovers,” Raph whispered urgently. “When does he _ever_ have leftovers?”

Leo opened his mouth to whisper back but…

“WHO THE SHELL ATE MY PIZZA?!”

Leo shook his head as Raph’s face drained of color. No amount of whispering was going to save him now. 


	25. Drool

Mikey squirmed as the viscous liquid seeped down his arm. Cringing, he tried once again to free himself from the barnacle attached to his shell. Also known as Donnie.   
  
From the armchair across the room, Leo watched the two turtles on the couch with a wide smile. He had watched as the purple banded ninja's eyes had slowly drooped over the course of the movie, bringing out his clingy side. Mikey never stood a chance.  
  
"Dude, Leo help me!" Mikey whispered as more of Donnie's drool leaked onto his already soaked shoulder.  
  
"Not a chance little brother. You know once Donnie grabs something he won't let go until he wakes up."  
  
And everyone knew waking Donnie when he wasn't ready was basically a death wish. But maybe...  
  
Mikey turned to his last hope and felt it crash and burn. Raph's shark like grin did not bode well for him. Sure enough out came the shell cell.  
  
"Aw Raph come on!" Mikey groaned. A particularly gross trickle of drool made its way under his shell making him open his mouth in a silent scream.  
  
"Perfect," Raph smirked as he snapped the photo.   
  
...  
  
When Christmas rolled around, Donnie was very confused when he received a bib from his baby brother.


	26. Baby

Casey cowered in his chair with a livid red head glaring down at him.  
  
Anxiously he glanced over at the turtles hoping for back-up, but even his best bud Raph was staring at him with a horrified expression on his face.  
  
"What did you just call me?" April whispered ominously.  
  
Yup. He was a dead man


	27. Tights

"You look incredible."  
  
"Did you always have such defined calves?"  
  
"They feel so smooth..."  
  
Raph stared open mouthed as Donnie and Mikey circled their older brother. It started as a dare, but maybe he should make Leo wear tights ALL the time.


	28. Kotex

Mikey looked at the odd package. He was rifling through the groceries April had brought them, but he didn't remember this "Kotex" being on the list.  
  
They looked like some kind of candy? Neat little cylinders wrapped in colorful pink packaging. Curious he opened one and was very confused when out came a plastic tube.  
  
After several minutes of investigation Mikey was still stumped.  
  
"Hey April!" he called over his shoulder. "Why did you get us mondo q-tips? You know we don't have ears right?"  
  
April walked into the kitchen with a confused look on her face. Looking closer at what Mikey was holding her confusion twisted into a mortified horror.  
  
"Give me that!" she squeaked, reaching out to grab the box Mikey held in his hands.  
  
Mikey danced away holding the box high above his head.  
  
"Was it supposed to be a surprise? Or maybe something Donnie needs? What do they do? What's Kotex mean?"  
  
Angrily April grabbed his shell stopping both him and his tirade of questions in their tracks.  
  
"You want to know what these are Mikey?" she whispered dangerously.  
  
Mikey gulped.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
A sly grin stole over April's face.   
  
"Sit down. I'll explain everything."  
  
The further into April's explanation she got, the more color drained from Mikey's face. By the end, the once sea green turtle had turned a frightening shade of mint. Eyes wide, the orange banded ninja slowly inched away from the sinister pink box.  
  
"Hey April, Mikey, what'chu got there?"   
  
Raph walked up to the table, tipping the box to read the label.  
  
"Kotex?"  
  
"NOOOO!" Mikey screamed as he bolted from the kitchen. "NOT AGAIN!"


	29. Tears

"Mikey stop it"   
  
...  
  
"Seriously I'm not just going to roll over on this one..."  
  
........  
  
"You're just going to break it again."  
  
.............  
  
"Dammit Mikey I have more important things to do!"  
  
......................  
  
"FINE! I'll fix your stupid X-box!!"  
  
Mikey's tears magically disappeared, and Donatello once again felt like a sucker.


	30. Flee

He was calm. Totally and completely calm. Just standing in the middle of the lair frozen. He was fine.  
  
The feeling of tiny legs crawling over him was still there. In a panic he frantically checked himself over again from green toe to red bandana. Nothing.  
  
Ok. Calm. Totally calm. Nothing there. Just his imagination. Right? Right. There were no bugs here. Nothing creeping crawling over his skin. Breathe.   
  
"Holy pizza on a stick Klunk!" his little brother yelled in shock. "Donnie! Where is the flea powder? Klunk is infested!"  
  
Raph's eye blew wide as the tingling of little legs over his body increased.  
  
Big freaking NOPE.  
  
With a sound he would deny to his dying day was a squeal, Raph turned tail and fled. Maybe Leatherhead had a flamethrower he could borrow...


	31. Slippery

Master Splinter had conquered some of the harshest and most challenging training regimens in his life time.   
  
Traveling to far off lands, meditating for days on end, fasting, grueling endurance challenges, you name it he had done it.   
  
And yet nothing could compare to the overwhelming difficulty of what was currently flying by him.   
  
All four of his tots had somehow become covered in what smelled like olive oil and were now zooming around the lair on their slippery little shells.   
  
Time and again he reached out and managed to grasp the lip of a shell, only for it to slip through his fingers like butter.  
  
Frantically he dove for little Michelangelo as he raced past him, exhaling a heavy 'OOF' as he crashed onto his stomach, coming up empty. Frowning deeply he rose to his feet, only to be bowled over by Raphael who was hurtling towards the other end of the room.   
  
With a solid clunk he hit the wall, giggling like a maniac.   
  
"Didja see that Leo?" the tot asked excitedly. "Betcha can't do that!"  
  
Splinter barely had time to jump up and out the way of his other son zooming past him to join the little hot head with a solid thunk against the wall.  
  
"I went faster!"  
  
"No ya didn' Leo!"  
  
"Did too!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did-"  
  
Neither of them got to continue their pointless argument because at that precise moment, Donatello came flying by knocking the two over. But rather than stop, the tot simply bounced off the wall like a pinball, sliding back towards Michelangelo.  
  
After bouncing across the lair Donatello stood excitedly gripping the wall so as not to slip and fall.  
  
Splinter was about to lay down the mother of all scoldings when he was beat to the punch by his youngest son.  
  
"Donnie how did you DO that?!" Michelangelo asked excitedly.  
  
Donatello pulled a bottle out from his little belt.  
  
"I added DISHSOAP!"


	32. Nodus

**Nodus: a problem, difficulty, or complication**  
  
Donnie was frustrated. Once again Mikey had been messing around in his lab and broke something. It wasn't particularly dangerous this time, and certainly not something he couldn't fix, but these little disturbances were becoming increasingly annoying.   
  
Probably why he was on a roll lecturing Mikey right now.  
  
"Irresponsible, completely oblivious, potentially dangerous actions, destructive tendencies no matter what you're doing, unbelievable how you are the nodus that compromises not only the sterile environment of this lab but-"  
  
"Hey Donnie?"  
  
"...what Mikey."  
  
"What's a nodus?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Is it another word for awesome? I'll bet it is. Cool word dude."  
  
Donnie's eye twitched as Mikey sprinted out of the lab yelling at the top of his lungs.  
  
"Hey Raphie guess what? I'M A NODUS!"


	33. Diamond

Donnie gently rubbed soothing circles on April's back as she quietly cried. Mikey sat at her feet anxiously, twisting his hands in his lap. Splinter looked sadly at the trio huddled in the center of the pit.   
  
"I'm sorry you lost your mom's earring April," Mikey said quietly, gingerly patting her leg.  
  
"It's my fault," April sobbed. "I never should have worn them down here in the sewers."  
  
Donnie sighed quietly, pulling April into a hug. What was there to say?  
  
The small group sat silently except for April's soft sobs. When the scuff of feet came from the turnstiles, they looked up and gasped. Leo and Raph were covered in mud, grime, and heaven knows what else, but both were grinning widely.  
  
Leo held something up between his giant fingers. There glinting in the dim light of the lair was a tiny diamond earring. April's eyes grew wide.  
  
"Is this it April?" Leo asked.  
  
For being highly trained ninjas, neither Leo nor Raph saw April move until she was hugging them both tightly.  
  
"You found it! Oh my god you guys found it! Thank you!"  
  
Both brothers brought an arm around the relieved girl wearing identical smiles. Anything for their little sister.


	34. Dusting

Splinter stared at the chaos that until recently had been his home.

"Don! Don wait! He didn't do it on purpose!"

"I don't care! He's DEAD!"

The melodic scream of his youngest drew Splinter's attention across the room. Held high above Michelangelo's head was a mess of dust, fur, and were those feathers?

"Come on Donne!" the orange banded ninja yelled. "Klunk was just dusting! He didn't _mean_ to break your experiment thingy!"

Donatello sprinted after his younger brother with what looked like a broken lamp post.

"Dusting is your job Mikey!" Don yelled angrily. "AND TYING A FEATHER DUSTER TO YOUR CAT DOESNT COUNT!"

Leonardo and Raphael brought up the rear in the odd train, trying to placate the normally passive ninja, or disarm him. Neither was working.

Splinter simply turned back around and re-entered his room. Why did Spring Cleaning always end up making such a mess?


	35. Rover

Donnie was so proud. It was the perfect solution to the very real problem of Mikey leaving a trail of crumbs everywhere he went.   
  
The ants had nearly driven Raph to the brink, and the cockroach had finally broken him. Aside from feeding Mikey through a tube at all times, this was the next best thing.  
  
With a smile, Donnie shut the lid on his latest invention he proudly called the "industrial" Roomba.  
  
It had a very advanced sensory network making it incredibly efficient at finding messes. It was faster than most people walked, and it had over 1000 times the suction power as any retail Roomba.  
  
Picking up his creation, he walked out of his lab to show it to his family. He found them in the living room, Raph and Leo getting trounced by Mikey on the Xbox. Master Splinter sat in his comfy chair, enjoying his sons' company and reading a book.   
  
"Hey guys," Donnie beamed. "Got a second?"  
  
"Dude, these guys have all day," Mikey laughed. "They're never gonna beat me at this rate."  
  
Leo glared while Raph shoved Mikey over with his hand on the bubbly turtle's face. Mikey squawked indignantly as he tumbled over, dumping the remains of his chip bag all over the floor.  
  
Perfect.  
  
Holding out the little machine Don said, "I'd like to introduce you my newest invention, the industrial Roomba."  
  
Splinter closed his book on his lap.  
  
"And what does a 'Roomba' do, my son?" he asked.   
  
Donnie stepped forward excitedly.   
  
"It's an automatic vacuum that requires no guidance or involvement with the user. You simply turn it on," he pressed the power button, "and the Roomba does the rest."   
  
Eagerly he set it on the floor as the powerful but quiet engine got to work. He grinned as the little thing quickly rolled over to the crumbs Mikey had let fall on the floor and sucked them all up before trundling off in a new direction, avoiding all obstacles in its path.  
  
Leo frowned.  
  
"Don, how is it doing that?" He asked. "Don't Roombas normally bump into things then change direction?"  
  
Don grinned happily.  
  
"I've improved its sensory network so that it not only avoids bumping into things, but recognizes its surroundings!"  
  
He picked up the bag of chips and threw more crumbs on the ground. Sure enough the little machine rolled over and sucked them up.  
  
"Thing is so quiet ya'd never know it was there," Raph muttered. "Like a Prius."  
  
Splinter nodded happily. Quiet was good in a home full of teenage boys.  
  
Mikey's eyed the little gadget as it finished cleaning the crumbs and rolled under the coffee table.  
  
"He knows when there's a mess?"  
  
Don frowned. " _IT_ knows where messes are yes. It recognizes sounds, shapes, and to a certain degree, scents."  
  
Mikey's eyes grew round.  
  
"He knows when you call him?"  
  
Raph rolled his eyes.  
  
"It ain't a dog ya knucklehead it's just a-"  
  
"Here Rover! Here boy!"  
  
Donnie scowled at his younger brother trying to figure out how  to explain that the machine wasn't programmed to recognize voice commands yet, but his jaw dropped when the little machine rolled quickly out from under the table and over to Mikey's feet, gently bumping his toes.  
  
"Aw, he likes me!"   
  
Mikey flopped onto the floor, petting the little bumper on the Roomba's edge as the machine chirped almost happily.  
  
Leo turned to Donnie expectantly.  
  
"Donnie?"  
  
The genius threw his arms in the air and spun on his heel.   
  
"No idea," he said, stalking off to his lab while his new invention rolled off into the lair, following Mikey like a lost puppy. At least the crumbs would get picked up.


End file.
